Mr Popularity
by yikes-a-bear
Summary: Takes place 6 months after "You are". The new school year is about to start,and Tom has a plan to become more popular,while Ren has to decide between an exclusive East coast boarding school and staying in Sacramento.(RenTwitty)
1. Author's Note

Mr. Popularity   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Even Stevens or any of the characters. I do however wish they were still making new episodes of the show.  
  
Please leave feedback if you can!  
  
Takes place 6 months after "You are..." Tom (who got left out in my last story, sorry Tom fans!) wants to start anew in his last year of junior high, and orders a cassette tape program that guarantees he will become popular. Meanwhile, Ren is torn between accepting a scholarship to an exclusive girls' prep school in Maryland and staying at home with her family, friends, and her now-boyfriend, Twitty. Will Twitty try to convince Ren to stay in Sacramento? And what exactly is Louis going to do about BOTH of these problems? Stay tuned!  
  
FYI There may be a time delay between chapters 2 and 3. I apologize in advance for leaving everyone in suspense!  
  
(late August, the last few wonderful weeks of summer.....)   
  
Ren smiled as she leaned back on her beach chair, closing her eyes so she could further enjoy the cool ocean breeze on her face. When their local weatherman had said this summer would be hot, he wasn't kidding. The only place that they could all keep cool -- short of their heavily A/C-ed houses and the movie theatre -- was at the beach.   
  
Ren felt the coolness of a shadow falling across her chair and opened her eyes.   
  
"Hey," she smiled, gathering her legs up underneath her as she sat up.   
  
"Hey yourself," Twitty smiled, leaning down to give her a quick kiss. "So, you ready to give it a try?" He picked up a purple and blue surfboard from next to Ren's chair.  
  
Ren got up from her chair and picked up a bright pink and violet wetsuit, pulling it on over her equally-colorful red and orange one piece swimsuit. "Are you sure this is safe? There could be, you know, sharks, or, a piece of driftwood with rusty nails in it, or pirates -- not the wacky but harmless Johnny Depp kind, but bad pirates, or -- oh! Remember that Brady Bunch rerun we saw last week, when Greg wiped out on the coral, and he..."   
  
Twitty raised his eyebrows at Ren. "Last time I checked, you weren't wearing a cursed Hawaiian idol, so you'll be just fine. Turn." He motioned to Ren, who turned so Twitty could zip up the back of the wetsuit for her. She sighed and turned back around to grab the surfboard from Twitty.   
  
"Come on," he smiled. "Would I lie to you?" He batted his eyes in an overly dramatic fashion as he held one hand over his heart.   
  
Ren couldn't help herself and laughed out loud. She tilted her head and looked at Twitty.   
  
"It's just that, well," Ren pursed her lips. "I'm kind of ......scared."   
  
"After living with Louis for almost 14 years, the waves should be a cinch in comparison," he winked at her. "Come on, I know you can do it."   
  
"Okay, okay," Ren sighed as she tucked the board under her right arm. "Surf's up."  
  
**************************************************************************** *************************************************   
  
"Uhm, Tom?" Tawny asked as she sat down on her towel, two soft serve ice cream cones balancing precariously in her hands.   
  
Tom Gribalski squinted in thought, his hands clutched to either side of his headset.   
  
"Tom?"   
  
No answer.   
  
"TOM!!!!!"   
  
Tom jumped, then looked over at Tawny petulantly. "You don't have to yell, Tawny. I AM sitting right next to you."   
  
Tawny rolled her eyes as Tom took one of the ice cream cones.   
  
"Tom, you haven't moved from this spot all day. Not even to go to the bathroom. It's..." she finished uneasily, "...kinda creepy."   
  
"Forgive me for my reticence Tawny but I've been busy catching up on....." he hesitated, "my studies."   
  
What was he talking about? The only 'homework' they had all had was a rather easy book for their summer reading list that she, Twitty, and even Louis had easily finished the first three weeks of their summer break.   
  
"Is that a book on tape or something?" Tawny asked as she caught a glance of a large, plastic multi-cassette tape holder tucked under the end of Tom's beach towel.   
  
"No wait! It's.. uhm...." Tom scrambled for the holder as Tawny pulled it out from under the towel.   
  
She narrowed her eyes. "How To Become Popular in 30 Days by Brighty Coyote- Taylor?" She wrinkled her nose. "Who is she? And what is up with her name?"   
  
Tom grabbed the holder away from her. "She's only the most popular of all the personal image consultants in the entire country, maybe even the world."   
  
Tawny looked back at Tom. "Tom, why are you listening to this stuff?"   
  
"Because!" Tom said impatiently as he clasped the tape holder in his hand, "I'm tired of being the.." he tried to compose himself, "...noble and dashingly intelligent outsider." He sighed. "I want an image makeover. This is our last year of junior high, you know, and for once, I'd like to see what it's like to be, well ..be like Twitty or Louis."   
  
"You know that Twitty and Louis - not to mention me! -- already like you the way you are, Tom."  
  
"Yeah, I know, they're my friends and everything, Tawny, but I'm not LIKE them," he said. "For once I want to see what it would be like to have the whole school look up to me, the way they look up to Louis and Twitty."   
  
"Louis and Twitty don't do anything you can't do too, Tom. You don't need some strange woman on a tape to tell you that."   
  
Tom sighed. "Please, Tawny. I'm nothing like Twitty OR Louis. Let's see," he said sarcastically, gesturing to Twitty and Ren as they laughed and paddled out to the waves. "Mr. Alan Twitty is the new co-captain of the baseball team, a talented surfer, and is also dating the most popular girl in the soon-to-be ninth grade." He nodded towards Louis, who was busy setting up elaborate-looking beach tents next to a large sign that read 'Louis's Luxury Beach Experience'. "And Mr. Louis Stevens is a hilarious schemer who," Tom paused as large woman with a huge beach bag chased after Louis as her beach tent blew into the water, "although his plans almost always backfire on him, is still beloved by all who know him."   
  
"I'm not an athlete with a sophisticated older girlfriend or an uproarious prankster, Tawny, so I guess you'll just have to let me figure out what I am going to be on my own." With that, he defiantly snapped his headphones back on and looked away.  
  
"What's wrong with you just being Tom? Tawny asked softly.  
  
After hesitating a minute in the hopes of a reply, she shrugged and started to get up until Tom tugged nervously at the beach bag she was picking up.   
  
"Oh and Tawny?" Tom asked squeakily, his newfound confidence suddenly absent from his demeanor. "Please don't tell anyone about this. ESPECIALLY Louis."  
  
**************************************************************************** ***********************************  
  
The sun was beginning to dip under the horizon as a soaking wet Ren and Twitty stumbled up the beach, dropping their boards into the sand and sprawling out onto a large beach towel next to Ren's chair. Both of them looked up at the sky, their hands behind their heads.   
  
"I don't know if I've mentioned this in the past 5 minutes, but you are AMAZING," Twitty said as he turned to look at Ren.   
  
"Please," she laughed. "It was SO beginner's luck."   
  
"Come on!" Twitty said as he rolled over and propped his head on his hand. "The way you jumped up on the board mid-wave and still kept going? That's more natural ability than beginner's luck."   
  
Ren rolled over to face Twitty, dropping her head into her hand. "I didn't mean to do that. I thought I saw a..."   
  
"A what? Come on, a what?"   
  
"This is so embarrassing," Ren hid her face in her hand as she spoke. "IthoughtIsawagiantsquid."   
  
"I didn't catch that, sorry," Twitty smiled as he leaned closer to Ren.   
  
"I said, I thought I saw a......a giant squid," Ren said, biting her lip to keep from laughing.   
  
Twitty burst out into huge chortles of laughter. "Are you kidding???"  
  
"No!" Ren said, playfully shoving at him. "Didn't you ever read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea?"  
  
Twitty snorted in amusement. "No, and after hearing that, I'm really glad I didn't."  
  
"Well, it turned out to just be seaweed, so no harm done," Ren sighed exasperatedly and rolled over onto her back, looking up at the sky, as Twitty desperately tried to stop laughing.   
  
After a few moments of silence, Twitty leaned over to look back at Ren. "I'm really glad you went surfing with me today."  
  
"Me too," she smiled back.  
  
Twitty smiled and leaned closer, their lips meeting softly. Ren inwardly sighed with happiness. This is a perfect day, Ren said to herself. A perfect boyfriend, a perfect sunset, with a day filled with perfect fun -- well except for the whole squid thing, of course. It didn't get any better -- or more perfect -- than this.  
  
"Reeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnn! RenRenRenRenRenREN!"  
  
Ren's perfect kiss flew out into the ocean as both she and Twitty swirled around and squinted into the darkening air around them, trying to discover the source of their interruption. As the voice got closer, Ren narrowed her eyes as she finally recognized its source.   
  
"Louis, what IS it?" Ren said through clenched teeth. Leave it Louis to mess everything up -- as usual.  
  
"Dude no offense or anything but this had better be good," Twitty said in an impatient tone.   
  
"Oh it is, don't you worry Twitty," Louis said as he bounced on his heels. He pulled a worn-looking white envelope out of his back pocket and handed it to Ren. "Well, come on Ren, open it!"  
  
Ren took the envelope from Louis and flipped it over. "Louis," she said irritatedly, "it's already open."  
  
"Details, schmetails," Louis waved at her impatiently. "Read it!"   
  
Ren looked at Twitty and shrugged. She flipped the envelope back over and pulled the single sheet of paper out of it.  
  
Her expression brightened as she looked at the return address at the top of the stationery. "It's from that boarding school in Maryland that I applied to last June," she said excitedly. "The one that has the full scholarship for aspiring journalists, and...."  
  
"YOU GOT IT!" Louis yelled.  
  
Suddenly Ren forgot about Louis interrupting them, and didn't even register the fact that Louis had opened her mail and read it before she had. "I got it? I GOT IT??????? ARE-YOU-KIDDING-ME?" She shrieked, then jumped up and whirled Louis around in a happy dance, dropping the letter into the sand.   
  
Twitty picked up the paper and quickly scanned its contents. "Wow," he said. "This is really awesome, Ren."  
  
Ren turned towards Twitty as he spoke, dropping Louis's arms as she realized she was voluntarily dancing around with her annoying little brother. She wiped her palms on her wetsuit and nodded at Louis.   
  
Ren sat down next to Twitty, brushing a stray hair from her eyes. "If I go here, I'll be sure to get into, well, wherever I want to go for college." She looked dreamily off into the distance. "Harvard, Yale, Stanford..." She grinned. "Or maybe NYU -- I've always wanted to go to New York!"  
  
Twitty's heart fell. Ren wanted to go to New York City for college? But that was so far away from Sacramento, from California! It's not like you and Ren have really ever talked about this kind of stuff before, Twitty had to remind himself. How would she know that you want to stay in California for college? Besides the fact that college was like 4 or 5 years away for the both of them, and their relationship was still pretty new, more in the mild kissing and hand-holding phase than the seriously-contemplating-what- we-are-gonna-do-for-the-rest-of-our-lives phase. It had taken him so long to win Ren's heart. And now she was going to leave, maybe forever? The idea was too painful for him to even think about.   
  
"I'm really happy for you," Twitty said as he forced a happy smile.  
  
Ren grinned and quickly kissed him, then grabbed both his hands and squeezed them. "I have to go home and tell my mom and dad right away. Call you later?"  
  
"Sure no problem," he said weakly as Ren quickly bundled up her chair and towels. "And don't worry, I'll take the board back for you."   
  
Ren raced over and hugged him. "Have I ever told you that you are the best boyfriend ever?"  
  
"Not since yesterday," he winked.   
  
Ren smiled warmly at him, and turned to race home after Louis.   
  
Twitty sunk down into the sand and sighed. Ren is such an amazing person, she deserves better than me, he said to himself. She deserves that school, and she deserves to go to Maryland - and then New York or wherever after that -- and be happy.   
  
He got up, dusted the sand off his wetsuit, and bundled both surfboards under his arms.   
  
Even if it means that I'll lose her. 


	2. Chpater 2

************************************************************************ Two days later.......  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"Wow, Ren, this place is amazing," Tawny said as she flipped through a four color brochure on the Stevens' living room table. "It's like straight out of a movie -- you know, like that one that Robin Williams played a teacher in, with the lake and old buildings and huge soccer field, and everything."  
  
Ren's eyes brightened as she pointed at the back cover. "It has a stable too, and an indoor riding arena."  
  
"But no boys," Ruby sighed as she waved at the brochure dismissively.  
  
Ren chuckled. "I don't need a school with boys," Ren said as she looked out the living room glass door at Twitty, who was helping Louis pack up his now defunct-business' beach tents and blankets for a yard sale. He caught Ren's glance and waved at her. "I already have the best boyfriend in the world."  
  
"..Who'll be a world away from you once you leave," Monique added. Ren's eyes widened in surprise. "Sorry, Ren," Monique said sheepishly. "We know you're excited about this school and everything, but." She hesitated.  
  
Ruby patted Ren's arm consolingly as she finished Monique's sentiment. "Ren, have you really, really thought about, well, everything you'd leaving behind? Us? Your family? Twitty?" She smirked. "Even Louis?"  
  
Ren sighed. "Well, you know..actually, not really. I've been so busy registering for classes, catching up on the required summer reading, writing my housing essay."  
  
Monique gasped in disbelief. "They made you write another essay? I thought they had already accepted you?"  
  
"It's so they can match up roommates according to goals and interests, as well as academic ability," Ren continued. "Anyway that's beside the point. I've just been so wrapped up in the idea of going that the reality of going just hasn't sunk in."  
  
Ren gazed disconsolately at the floor, while Tawny, Ruby and Monique looked helplessly at each other.  
  
Finally Monique broke the silence. ""I have the perfect solution! A going- away beach party!"  
  
Ruby grinned. "Oooh! And a concert!" Ruby turned to Ren. "With a performance by the Twitty Stevens Connection!"  
  
"You'll have TOO much fun, enough to last you until Thanksgiving when you come back," Monique grinned.  
  
"What do you say Ren?" Ruby beamed at Ren.  
  
Ren tried to smile. "It sounds great, guys."  
  
"Let's go start writing down theme ideas!" Monique grinned as she and Ruby jumped out of their seats and raced towards the kitchen.  
  
"It'll go by really fast," Tawny offered helpfully as she got up and followed Monique and Ruby out of the room. "It'll be like you never left."  
  
As Tawny walked away, Ren dropped her chin into her hands, sighed, and stared out the window. Twitty was sitting under the largest tree on their lawn, his guitar on his lap, looking out towards the horizon.  
  
Ren slowly got up and headed towards the glass door. She had been running around so much the past two days that she had been oblivious to everyone else and what they might be feeling about her going away.  
  
Or maybe it wasn't that she had been too distracted to think about being gone.. maybe it was that she didn't want to think about how everyone would feel, or what they would do, when she WAS gone. Especially Twitty. But she had to face it at some point, and like her mom was so fond of saying, there was no time like the present. She took a deep breath for courage and opened the door.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
"What do you call that?" Ren smiled as she sat down next to Twitty, who was humming as he strummed the guitar.  
  
Twitty nodded towards Louis, who was once again chasing after an errant beach tent as it blew around the yard. "The Louis Stevens Garage Sale Blues." He smiled.  
  
"Catchy," Ren smiled. "Hey, I need to talk to you about something."  
  
"Oh, okay," Twitty said, putting the guitar down as he tried to keep his voice from wavering. He knew that despite his somewhat limited experience with girls and dating, nothing good ever followed the phrase "I need to talk to you."  
  
Ren fidgeted with her hair. How was she going to say this? 'Twitty, would it be possible for you to somehow convince your parents to plunk down tens of thousands of dollars so you can go to the boy's academy the next town over from the school I got accepted to? No? Okay, well then could you maybe sit here and plead with me not to go so that I won't have to make this impossible decision by myself?'  
  
"Well," she stammered, "the thing is that, uhm.."  
  
"Your presence is requested at a private showing at the Sacramento Cinema at 3pm," an unfamiliar female voice declared from above them.  
  
Startled, Twitty and Ren both looked up at the source of the voice. "Excuse me?" Ren asked. "We're kind of in the middle of something.."  
  
A red haired girl about Ren's age, wearing an outfit that looked as if it had come straight off a New York fashion show runway, met their gaze and blithely handed them an ivory envelope. "You are truly fortunate, as T.Grib's invites are THE primo."  
  
"The what?" Ren asked.  
  
"Who is T. Grib?" Twitty asked. "And who are you, exactly?"  
  
The girl gasped in shock. "Hello, I'm only his girlfriend! Where have you been the past few days, under a rock or something?" She narrowed her eyes. "No offense or anything, but you guys seem about ten notches below for a T. Grib invite."  
  
"Do you know what she's talking about?" Twitty questioned as he looked at Ren.  
  
Ren got up and handed the envelope back to the girl. "Look, thanks and all, but we don't know anyone named T. Grib."  
  
"Whatever," the girl said in a bored tone, taking the envelope back from Ren with a condescending look on her face. "If you ask me, you guys are so not worth it anyway." With that she spun on her heel and tossed the envelope on the lawn, striding evenly back towards the sidewalk.  
  
"Okay," Ren said loudly, "What was that all about?"  
  
"HEY!"  
  
Ren jumped in surprise as Louis hollered at them from across the lawn. "Didya get one? Didya didya didya didya?????"  
  
"One WHAT?" Ren demanded.  
  
"An invite for T. Grib's party," Louis said as he rubbed his hands together manically.  
  
"Not you too dude," Twitty groaned.  
  
"Who is T. Grib, Louis?" Ren asked impatiently.  
  
"That's the cool part," he grinned. "No one knows."  
  
"So, how does that make it cool, exactly, Louis?" Ren raised an eyebrow at Louis.  
  
"Well, er, yes, that's an excellent question," Louis stalled, holding up one index finger to emphasize his point, "but unfortunately I don't have the time right now, as I uh, need to coordinate movie party plans with Tawny."  
  
"Tawny is going to this thing too?" Ren exclaimed. Was everyone losing their mind?  
  
"Actually she got the invite right before I did, so, there ya go," Louis said as he started to walk backwards towards the house. "Later, party people!"  
  
Twitty stood up and walked towards the discarded invitation.  
  
"You're not really actually thinking of participating in this madness, are you?" Ren asked.  
  
"Admit it, you're curious too," he grinned as he picked it up and walked back to her. "In fact, I bet you a kiss that you're not only curious, but that you're dying to go."  
  
"And what do I win if you're wrong?" she smiled in spite of herself.  
  
"A kiss. Or, you know, if you'd rather have popcorn, that's fine with me."  
  
Ren rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, we'll go." She linked her arm though his. "But you'd better pay up."  
  
"No problem there," he smiled as they headed towards the house. "Oh, hey, what did you want to talk about before?"  
  
Ren fidgeted. While bordering on annoying, the whole T. Grib drama had the surprising benefit of causing her to completely forget about her impending departure, leaving her family and friends and Twitty, and the whole drama that was swirling around in her heart because of it. No, no, it could wait until this whole T. Grib mystery was over. True, her mom was a devotee to the 'no time like the present' rule, but she also talked about taking one thing at a time a lot, so it seemed okay - not to mention very convenient - to let it overrule her bigger problem. At least for the time being, anyway.  
  
"Oh," she finally answered, trying to sound as lackadaisical as possible. "It's nothing that can't wait until later."  
  
************************************************************************* 


End file.
